Sunday, October 21, 2012

A 10 inch LP on the Decca label from the late 50's I imagine, perhaps even earlier. I have fond memories of The Billy Cotton Band Show on the radio during my childhood and youth at Sunday lunchtimes whilst we ate our roast and two veg. Billy, Alan Breeze and the gang would be singing about their coconuts, woodpecker holes, Mother Brown and all.
A typical selection of novelty songs and dance music on here which sums up that era for me perfectly!.......................................................................................................................................................................Wikipedia says - "William Edward Cotton (6 May 1899 – 25 March 1969), better known as Billy Cotton, was an English band leader and entertainer, one of the few whose orchestras survived the British dance band era. Today, he is mainly remembered as a 1950s and 1960s radio and television personality, although his musical talent emerged as early as the 1920s. In his younger years Billy Cotton was also an amateur footballer for Brentford F.C. (and later, for the then Athenian league club Wimbledon, now AFC Wimbledon), an accomplished racing driver and the owner of a Gipsy Moth which he piloted himself.
Born in Smith Square, London, to Joseph and Susan Cotton, Cotton was a choirboy and started his musical career as a drummer. He enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers by falsifying his age and saw service in World War I in Malta and Egypt, before landing at Gallipoli in the middle of an artillery barrage. Later he was recommended for a commission and learned to fly Bristol Fighter aircraft. He flew solo for the first time in 1918, the same day the Royal Flying Corps became the Royal Air Force. He was then not yet 19 years old.
In the inter-war years. he had several jobs such as bus driver before setting up his own orchestra, the London Savannah Band, in 1924. At first a straight dance band, over the years the London Savannah Band more and more tended towards music hall/vaudeville entertainment, introducing all sorts of visual and verbal humour in between songs. Famous musicians that played in Billy Cotton's band during the 1920s and 1930s included Arthur Rosebery, Syd Lipton and Nat Gonella. The band was also noted for their African American trombonist and tap dancer, Ellis Jackson. Their signature tune was "Somebody Stole My Gal", and they made numerous commercial recordings for Decca.
During the Second World War Cotton and his band toured France with the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA). After the war, he started his successful Sunday lunchtime radio show on BBC, the Billy Cotton Band Show, which ran from 1949 to 1968. In the 1950s composer Lionel Bart contributed comedy songs to the show. It regularly opened with the band's signature tune and Cotton's call of "Wakey Wakey". From 1957, it was also broadcast on BBC television."................................................................................................................................................................Songs on side One are as follows - 1. I've Got A Lovley Bunch Of Coconuts 2. The Parlour Piano 3. It Ain't The Cough 4. Never been There Before.............................................................................................Billy Cotton - Side One.......................................................................................................................................................................Side Two songs are as follows - 1, Friends & Neighbours 2. There's Another Hole In The Road 3. Why Worry? 4. Kitchen Rag........................................................................................................................................................................Billy Cotton - Side Two

An LP of Bob Cort without his skiffle group from the early 60's I would guess. Some rather off colour songs for the time though a bit innocuous now. The backing group sounds like the Mike Sammes Singers which is a shame - I was hoping for a drunken pub crown as the photo on the sleeve suggests!....................................................................................................................................................................
Find out a little more about Bob HERE......................................................................................................................... Tracks are as follows - 1. RollMe Over 2.Oh Dear, What Can The Matter be? 3. Ringa Ranga Roo 4. Foggy Foggy Dew 5. The Good Ship venus 6. A Man Came Home From Work 7.Make Mine Musicana. 8. Oh Sir Jasper..................................................................................................Bob Cort - Side One

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

I have several "stereo samplers" like this one on the Decca label from 1958. They all sound fairly similar featuring orchestral classics, trains, cars and marching feet etc. The montage on the sleeve caught my eye I must admit. This side features the voice of Geoffrey Sumner who introduces all the sounds and the wonderful world of ffss!...........................................................................................................................................................................Stereo Sound - Side One

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

An 7 inch EP on the Happy Time label from 1962 with delightful splatter effect vinyl that Damien Hirst would be proud of.Not sure who the Cricketones were - just a house band one suspects.......................................................................................................................................................................Wikipedia says - "Cy Leslie reorganized Pickwick Sales Corp. in 1952 out of Voco, which had begun in 1946 producing recorded greeting cards, elaborately designed kiddie picture discs with cardboard backings and finally multicolored vinyl records. Cricket was the successor to Voco, making its debut with Pickwick itself on May 25, 1953; "my wife's birthday" as Leslie later recalled. Cricket was the first product line offered by Pickwick Sales Corp. According to Leslie, "Good fortune introduced me to an early genius, Eli Oberstein. He owned a vast catalog which included many children's albums, which he agreed to lease, thus beginning Pickwick's first licensing – The Pickwick Cricket line of children's records." Many of the early records were credited under the collective banner of the "Cricketone Players," or some variant thereof. The 1953 lease from Oberstein produced roughly the first fifty Cricket Records, and the remainder were recorded in a scatter-shot fashion afterward. Cricket singles sold for 49 cents each.
Cricket Records are often anonymous, or credited cryptically to non-entities such as "Cricketone Orchestra." Among established name artists to appear on Cricket were Gene Autry, William Bendix, Smiley Burnette, Bobby Colt, Dennis Day, Eddie Dean, Leif Erickson, Ray Heatherton, Boris Karloff, Maury Laws, Gisele MacKenzie, Norman Rose and David Wayne. Cy Leslie himself is credited on C-85 as the leader of The Calypso Tones. There are no credits on records in the 6-inch series, though these largely duplicate material that appeared in other formats.[citation needed]
Cricket Records started out strong, competing well against Golden Records, the main producer of postwar kiddie records. Leslie recalled that the Golden and Cricket concerns often had their booths set up next to each other at record shows. Cricket Records, however, were not sold in record stores but on racks in department stores and were, therefore, stocked by rackjobbers. Later in the 1950s, Pickwick turned its attention to low-budget licensing deals with majors such as Capitol Records, Mercury Records and RCA Victor. These contracts proved enormously profitable, and required more of Pickwick's attention. In 1968, both Cricket and its sister label Happy Time Records were phased out, though back stock on both labels continued to be available for a time."......................................................................................................................................................................|Cricketones - Little Red Riding Hood...................................................................................................................................................................Cricketones - Kiddie Songs

More kiddie song stuff from Mitch Miller and Orchestra featuring Gilbert Mack, Anne Lloyd and The Sandpipers from 1962.............................................................................................................................................................................Wikipedia says - "As a record producer, Miller gained a reputation for both innovation and gimmickry. Although he oversaw dozens of chart hits, his relentlessly cheery arrangements and his penchant for novelty material – for example, "Come on-a My House" (Rosemary Clooney), "Mama Will Bark" (Frank Sinatra) – has drawn criticism from some admirers of traditional pop music. Music historian Will Friedwald wrote in his book Jazz Singing (Da Capo Press, 1996) that "Miller exemplified the worst in American pop. He first aroused the ire of intelligent listeners by trying to turn — and darn near succeeding in turning – great artists like Sinatra, Clooney, and Tony Bennett into hacks. Miller chose the worst songs and put together the worst backings imaginable – not with the hit-or-miss attitude that bad musicians traditionally used, but with insight, forethought, careful planning, and perverted brilliance."
At the same time, Friedwald acknowledges Miller's great influence on later popular music production:
Miller established the primacy of the producer, proving that even more than the artist, the accompaniment, or the material, it was the responsibility of the man in the recording booth whether a record flew or flopped. Miller also conceived the idea of the pop record "sound" per se: not so much an arrangement or a tune, but an aural texture (usually replete with extramusical gimmicks) that could be created in the studio and then replicated in live performance, instead of the other way around. Miller was hardly a rock 'n' roller, yet without these ideas there could never have been rock 'n' roll. "Mule Train", Miller's first major hit (for Frankie Laine) and the foundation of his career, set the pattern for virtually the entire first decade of rock. The similarities between it and, say, "Leader of the Pack", need hardly be outlined here.
While Miller's methods were resented by some of Columbia's performers, including Frank Sinatra and Rosemary Clooney, the label maintained a high hit-to-release ratio during the 1950s. Sinatra, in particular, would speak harshly of Miller and blamed him for his (Sinatra's) temporary fall from popularity while at Columbia, having been forced to record material like "Mama Will Bark" and "The Hucklebuck." Miller countered that Sinatra's contract gave him the right to refuse any song."......................................................................................................................................................................Mitch Miller - Old MacDonald Had A Farm...................................................................................................................................................................Mitch Miller - The Owl & The Pussycat

Monday, October 15, 2012

EP on the Hispavox label from Madrid in Spain in 1964. Some crazy dance that swept through Spain in the 60's apparently. I don't think the Flamenco has anything to worry about!........................................................................................................................................................................
"Since the emergence of the twist , inventing new dances proliferated: limbo, madison, whiskey, bycicle, Hully Gully, shake and an endless etcetera. In Spain also arise about native dances like the twist or when they, however, is the Yenka will be victorious in the making. A dance based on hopping on one foot to finish jumping with both feet together. The musical part of the case is a mere excuse to cause this kind of fun gymnastic jumping in guiding their activity.
The four tracks on the album are quite similar and all are composed Kurt Charley. The instrumentation is a Franciscan poverty and is chaired by an instrument, which by the way, it became fashionable: the melodic.
Was a smash hit and was one of the biggest selling records in 1965 and compulsory piece around or party shindig worth his salt. It sparked a fever Yenka nationwide, because it was an innocuous family dance and athletic. Other groups and soloists were ready to record songs to the rhythm of Yenka, so Hispavox was careful to place in all partner disks labeled: "The Yenka by its creators Johnny and Charley"......................................................................................................................................................................Johnny & Charley - La Yenka/Eh! nene...................................................................................................................................................................Johnny & Charley - Baila La yenka/Yenka Riketik

Sunday, October 14, 2012

More Mitch Miller this time with Jack Mercer doing the voice of Popeye on this Gala Goldentone 6 inch 78 from 1962. The other side features Mike Stewart, Gilbert Mack and The Sandpipers with the story of Scruffy The Tugboat........................................................................................................................................................................Wikipedia says - "Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929. Popeye also became the strip's title in later years.
Although Segar's Thimble Theatre strip was in its tenth year when Popeye made his debut in 1929, the sailor quickly became the main focus of the strip and Thimble Theatre became one of King Features' most popular properties during the 1930s. Thimble Theatre was continued after Segar's death in 1938 by several writers and artists, most notably Segar's assistant Bud Sagendorf. The strip, now titled Popeye, continues to appear in first-run installments in its Sunday edition, written and drawn by Hy Eisman. The daily strips are reprints of old Sagendorf stories."......................................................................................................................................................................Mitch Miller - Popeye The Sailor Man........................................................................................................................................................................Mitch Miller - SCruffy The Tuboat

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On the Gala Goldentone label from 1962 - a 6 inch vinyl bright orange disc. Nursery rhymes and children's songs sung by grown ups....................................................................................Wikipedia says - " Mitchell William "Mitch" Miller (July 4, 1911 – July 31, 2010)[1][2] was a prominent figure in the American music industry. Miller was involved in almost all aspects of the industry, working as a musician, singer, conductor, record producer, A&R man and record company executive. Miller was one of the most influential figures in American popular music during the 1950s and early 1960s, both as the head of Artists and Repertoire at Columbia Records and as a best-selling recording artist with an NBC television series, Sing Along with Mitch. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester in the early 1930s, Miller began his musical career as an accomplished player of the oboe and English horn, and recorded several highly regarded classical albums featuring his instrumental work, but he is best remembered as a conductor, choral director, television performer and recording executive."...........................................................................
Mitch Miller - 10 Little Indians.............................................................................Mitch Miller - The farmer In The Dell

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Old scratchy 78 from Crewe flea market today. I'm always attracted to "comic songs" and this one was the only record to have this printed on the label. I'd heard of Harry Hudson before - indeed I think I have featured him and his Melody Men on this very blog. Shame it's so worn - sounds like a fun double "A" side...........................................................................................................................................................................Wikipedia says - "Stanley Kirkby was a British music hall singer at the beginning of the twentieth century. He was particularly well known for a series of songs he sang during the First World War, such as "Boys of the Dardanelles", a patriotic song, "Tell my Daddy to come home again", a sentimental treatment of how hard it was for children to be parted from their soldier fathers, and in 1910 he covered "The Galloping Major" - the original version of which had been performed by George Henry Bastow in 1906.
But he also had success singing love songs, such as "When you know you're not forgotten by the girl you can't forget".
He recorded "Irish and proud of it too" in 1915.".........................................................................................................................................................................Kirkby & Hudson - Finnegan's Ball.......................................................................................................................................................................Kirkby & Hudson - I Can't Do Without Love

Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Another City Beats radio show with DJ Charlie Gillett and his guest Ben Mendelsohn who at the time played guitar in Orchestre Jazira and had just started Globestyle Records. Ben plays some new releases and other world music favourites.............................................................................."Guitarist and musicologist Ben Mandelson has played a seminal role in the growth of world music. A multi-instrumentalist, Mandelson has played on albums by Magazine, the Pogues, Kirsty MacColl, Shriekback, and the Oyster Band. A member of early-80s punk/power pop band, the Amazorbacks, he toured with Billy Bragg's Blokes and currently plays guitar in Anglo-Ghanaian highlife band, Orchestre Jazira.
Mandelson's greatest impact has been made as director of London-based Globe Style Records and GlobeStyle Irish and as the producer of recordings by Varttina, Tarika Sammy, Boiled in Lead, Dembo Konte, Kausu Kuyateh and the Jali Roll Orchestra, and the Klezmatics and Tiger Moth."
Charlie Gillett - Ben mendelson Pt. 1==========================================================================================================================================================================Charlie Gillett - Ben Mendelsohn Pt. 2

Monday, October 01, 2012

Robert Cray the master of the blues guitar is Charlie's guest on his City Beats radio show in September 1986. An eclectic mix as always - lots of blues and world music and interesting chat.========================================================================================================Wikipedia Says - "Robert Cray (born August 1, 1953, Columbus, Georgia, United States) is an American blues guitarist and singer. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he has led his own band, as well as an acclaimed solo career.
Cray started playing guitar in his early teens. At Denbigh High School in Newport News, Virginia, his love of blues and soul music flourished as he started collecting records. Originally, he wanted to become an architect, but around the same time that he began to study architectural design, he formed the band Steakface, described as "the best band from Lakewood you never heard of". Cray's guitar and vocals contributed greatly to Steakface's set list of songs by Jimi Hendrix, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Fleetwood Mac, The Grease Band, Blodwyn Pig, Jethro Tull, Spirit and The Faces.
By the age of twenty, Cray had seen his heroes Albert Collins, Freddie King and Muddy Waters in concert and decided to form his own band; they began playing college towns on the West Coast. In the late 1970s he lived in Eugene, Oregon, where he formed the Robert Cray Band and collaborated with Curtis Salgado in the Cray-Hawks. In the 1978 film, National Lampoon's Animal House, Cray was the uncredited bassist in the house party band Otis Day and the Knights. After several years of regional success, Cray was signed to Mercury Records in 1982. His third album release, Strong Persuader, produced by Dennis Walker, received a Grammy Award, while the crossover single "Smokin' Gun" gave him wider appeal and name recognition."================================================================================================================================================================
http://www.divshare.com/download/19697128-8b5 ======================================================================================================================================: http://www.divshare.com/download/19697218-28c